


You've got to set yourself on fire

by Mystical_Firefly_Avenger



Series: Barneses Do What They Want [3]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel
Genre: 1940s, I'll update the tags as I go, M/M, Rebecca-centric, Stucky is sort of background, WW2
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-30
Updated: 2017-05-27
Packaged: 2018-09-03 06:44:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8701567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mystical_Firefly_Avenger/pseuds/Mystical_Firefly_Avenger
Summary: The story of how Rebecca Barnes became Shadow.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is something I've been trying to write for while now, I'll try to update around once a week.  
> Well here goes...

It’s 1941 when Japan attacks Pearl Harbor. Rebecca was working at her job for a tailor when a young man ran in and slapped the morning’s paper down on the counter, panting heavily.

“Japan bombed Pearl Harbor! Sunk 3 battleships and over 2,400 casualties!” He burst out, wide eyed.

Rebecca grabbed the paper and her eyes quickly sought out the blaring headlines proclaiming the news. She skimmed the article until she reached the president’s address and dread crept into her, America had declared war on the Axis powers.

President Roosevelt had made the decision early that morning and now enlistment offices were opening. Rebecca glanced out the window and saw the men lining up on the sidewalk outside the recruitment office, some were smiling and laughing while others were calm. Rebecca put the paper back down on the desk and picked up her sewing, carefully positioning herself so that she wouldn’t have to see the excited men exiting the building across the street with freshly stamped enlistment papers in hand.

She couldn’t watch them go knowing that so few would return.

Rebecca ends up running home that night, regardless of the indignity of pulling her skirt up to her thighs so she could go faster. She heaved a shaking sigh of relieve when she saw that Bucky and Steve are empty handed and free of papers.


	2. November, 1941

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it took so long for me to post another chapter. It took a while to find the motivation but now that it's here I hope it's ok. Please let me know if I should keep writing this story or if it's any good.

It’s November 1941. Rebecca is lying on the couch trying to block out the sounds coming from the apartment above. She can hear Mrs Thompson screaming and pleading with her husband not to leave.

” _I don’t care! There are plenty of other men enlisted! You shouldn’t have to go!”_  
“America needs every man. One person can be the difference between winning and losing.”  
  


Rebecca claps her hands over her ears and tries to forget the meaning of the couple’s arguing. She thinks the shouting lasts for hours until Mrs Thompson’s shrieks quiet, Rebecca hopes that Steve and Bucky slept through the din.

The next morning Becca stumbles out of bed, bags under her eyes but determined to get down to the green grocers before the 6:30 rush. She fetches her purse from its hiding place inside the old soap tin in the cupboard under the sink, pins up her hair and is striding down the three flights of rickety steel stairs before the sun’s rays penetrate the heavy haze of Brooklyn.

Rebecca climbs back up the three flights of stairs half an hour later with a large, brown paper bag clutched in her arms.

”G’morning, Becca” Bucky yawn’s a greeting from where he’s sitting at the kitchen table reading their battered but not-quite-falling-apart copy of _The Hobbit_.

“Morning, Bucky” Becca says stacking the contents of the brown paper bag into the pantry, “I got a good deal on the potatoes and Jacob was working at the butcher’s so we’ll have some meat to put in the stew”

Steve looks up from whatever he was sketching “Jacob? As in the ginger we used to go to school with?”

“That’s the one”  
“You know he’s head over heels for you, right?”

Becca smiles sweetly “I was counting on it.”  
Bucky snorts “Sometimes I forget how devious you can be.”  
“Devious I may be but I’ll be damned if I pass up a perfectly good offer of food, especially with the rations getting stricter.”

The light atmosphere in the small apartment was dampened by her last sentence, the ration card issues _had_ been getting stricter, a situation that was not helped by the overly optimistic news of the war. The papers had sugar-coated every mention of the war to the point that it was impossible to know what was really happening.

The dark thoughts clinging to the stuffy kitchen vanished as Steve snapped his sketch book shut and stood up.

“There’s no way we’re wasting away our Sunday doing nothing” he said, shrugging on his jacket,

“Nothing? Rogers, I’ll have you know that reading Tolkien’s masterpiece is not merely _nothing._ ” Bucky gasped dramatically, putting a hand over his heart. Steve rolled his eyes   
“Whatever you say, Buck. You coming or not?”  
“As if I would leave my best guy to go out alone on a Sunday”  
“Best guy? Aw, you’re getting’ all sappy on me”  
“Can it, Rogers.”

Becca watched them bicker fondly, most folk would be appalled and disgusted by Steve and Bucky’s unconventional relationship but Becca could only see their happiness.  
“Well you two have fun.” She said

“Your hilarious, Becca. You know as well as I do that Sarah’s Trio is not complete with only Steve and me” Bucky said  
“I have things to do.” She protested, but her brother wouldn’t have any of it. “I need to finish knittin-. BUCKY!” She shrieked as he lifted her over his shoulder and carried her out the door.  
“You heard Steve. It’s _Sunday._ ” He laughed, the warm sound carrying through the hazy Brooklyn air. 


End file.
